


i was scared of pretty boys and starting conversations

by lowcaps



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (I hope), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee Shops, Comedy, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Not crack fic, Pet Shops, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, buckle in dudes this is going to be one hell of a ride, but some elements are chaotic enough to be passed as crack-ish, daisuga centric, i've been planning to write smth with daisuga like 2 years ago now look where we are, lots of fluff, they're both gay disasters and i love that for them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2020-11-22 14:07:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20875469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowcaps/pseuds/lowcaps
Summary: "Daichi’s breath mysteriously left his lungs. So mysteriously, in fact, that it came back just in time for him to choke on it.“Whoa, you okay man?” Kuroo’s worried expression was enough to tell Sawamura that yes, he did in fact just choke on nothing after seeing… him.The other barista was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. With ash-blond hair, clean face, tiny mole under his left eye and his apron, too, covered in hopefully-sugar, he was… Well, Daichi’s brain seemingly went on vacation, his vocabulary along with it, because he was hot."-alternatively, "the one where Daichi works in a pet store and ends up being whipped for the hot barista from the coffee shop across the street".





	1. Of Crushes and Volleyball

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to [ olly ](http://ollyoctopus.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading this and for putting up with my constant bullshit xx ily  
go check out their work!!!

It was a good day in Tokyo.

Or, at least, as good as it could be on one of the coldest days October had seen that year, when outside the heavy rain clouds threatened to flood the city at the wrong sneeze and when the bitter wind threatened to lift you off the ground, Mary Poppins style.

Daichi had made his way over to the pet store at Ass in the Morning, having the privilege of working the opening shift for the rest of the week. With Takeda-sensei being out of town on whatever wildly inconvenient business trip he was on, Sawamura had been left in charge of the morning shift (granted, the sole reason he did that was because “as much as I trust Kuroo’s hands around animals, I sure as hell don’t want to catch him around the desk for more than 5 minutes at a time, and Ennoshita is busy enough during the afternoon shift with Hinata there”, or so he had said.)

Which is why our dear Sawamura Daichi could be found on that chilly morning, caffeine-deprived in a tiny pet store filled with various sounds: from parrots screeching whatever swear word they learned this week when Daichi stubbed his toe on the desk, to Kuroo yelling from the back that “THE BAG OF DOG TREATS JUST _GOT TORN_, DAICHI!” and the other critters wisely minding their own business.

Luckily for Kuroo - and for the wellbeing of the store and Daichi’s sanity - he had 3 appointments scheduled today, which left Daichi most times alone at the desk, helping children and their parents in picking a fluffy or scaley friend to take care of and cherish for whatever time they had, or helping the elderly with buying treats for their companions using - infuriatingly - nothing but spare change.

In all honesty though, Daichi loved his job. He had taken it on a whim when Kuroo mentioned it, after being fired from a popular fast-food restaurant whose name Will Not be mentioned, with the classic “that’s just business, kid. No hard feelings.” He came in for the interview, Takeda-sensei basically hiring him on the spot. Kuroo really wasn’t kidding when he said that the store was in need of help, with its decline in clients after a new, more mainstream pet store opened just over a year ago a few blocks away from them (Fuck Mainstream Stores Lives).

Maybe it was a bit cliché, but Sawamura had felt for a while now like something was missing from his life. Although, seemingly, he had everything he’d ever need from life: a somewhat stable job with good pay, a few close friends that he liked spending time with, a pretty normal life - excluding whatever bullshit Bokuto and Kuroo were getting themselves involved in at any given moment, with him and Kenma and Akaashi having to act as damage control.  
And yet, something was… off, in a way.

Perhaps there was something he’d been neglecting for a while, but he didn’t really want to think about it.

By either some miracle or just plain bad luck, depending on how you looked at it, the store was pretty much empty, save from the animals waiting to be taken in by a loving person - read: another twat who’s barely able to keep a plant alive, but that has decided they Need a chihuahua to carry around in a purse for tinder dates and other inappropriate situations.

And you know what? It was early as All Fuck, he was tired and severely in need of caffeine. And, convenience had it that just a week or so ago a new coffee shop had opened its doors just across the street.

Daichi went in the back of the store where Kuroo was finishing his last check-up for the next hour or so.  
“I’m going to get some coffee, you want some?” Dachi asked, knocking on the open door and drawing his friend’s attention.  
“Yeah man, I’d fucking love some,” Kuroo answered gratefully, looking like he’d gotten a bit of spring in his step after hearing the word ‘coffee’. “Wait for me though, I’m almost done with this little guy and I’ll be right with you,” he added, taking the patient’s - an adorable puppy named Mittens, due to the white spots present on his paws and tail - face in his hands and carefully cleaning his eyes.  
“Alright, I’ll be waiting at the desk, let me know when.” And with that, Daichi left the medical office and returned to his desk.

Fuck knows how many minutes had passed until Kuroo followed out the puppy and his owner with a small smile on his face, reassuring them that their tiny fuzzy friend was doing better and better by the day, and waving them off as they exited happily.

As soon as they’d left, Kuroo turned to Daichi with a glint in his eye. “So, I was promised coffee. Where are we headed, captain?”

Daichi would’ve normally winced at the nickname Kuroo gave him - he used to be the captain of the volleyball team back in high school, and the nickname just fit; that, and Kuroo was a Dickhead - but it was too early to be alive, therefore it was too early to give half a flying fuck.

“Just across the street; that new coffee shop just opened.”

Before he had the chance to finish his sentence, Daichi was already getting his coat and was handing Kuroo his, tucking himself in like he was going to die from whatever impersonation of a blizzard Mother Nature felt like sending their way. And honestly, who could blame him?

“Oh yeah, Kenma mentioned some sort of partnership between “Cat’s Nest” and this coffee shop.”  
“Cat’s Nest” being the bookstore Kenma worked at, Daichi felt the slightest bit confused. He gave Kuroo a questioning look.  
“What do you mean ‘partnership’?”  
Kuroo shrugged. “Hell if I know, something about giving clients of the cafeteria the chance to read or buy a book while they get a coffee, I think. Thrilling stuff.” Sawamura hummed absently in response.

Leaving and locking the door behind them, they made their way to the coffee shop.

When they entered, the sweet smell of pastries and the strong aroma of fresh coffee filled their senses, the warmth of the place helping them warm up from the coldness of the wind from the other side of the door. As they made their way to the counter, they studied the place’s surroundings: pastel yellow walls with vintage posters hung on them - from whatever band that your dad used to like that broke up after whatever tiny misunderstanding they had at the time, to the political bullshit of the 1800 and what the town’s people had to say about the gay couple living in London who never seemed to age - to the counter’s window showing pastries, from golden croissants, to soft muffins and chocolate cookies, all beautifully arranged on the pink-stained glass.

Looking behind the counter, they both spotted the baristas: one of them tall, with his hair tied into a tight man bun and a small goatee on his chin, his apron sprinkled with what appeared to be powdered sugar - or, at least what Daichi hoped was powdered sugar, with his apron looking like a clean-up party gone wrong. The other…

Daichi’s breath mysteriously left his lungs. So mysteriously, in fact, that it came back just in time for him to choke on it.  
“Whoa, you okay man?” Kuroo’s worried expression was enough to tell Sawamura that yes, he did in fact just choke on nothing after seeing… him.

The other barista was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. With ash-blond hair, clean face, tiny mole under his left eye and his apron, too, covered in hopefully-sugar, he was… Well, Daichi’s brain seemingly went on vacation, his vocabulary along with it, because he was _hot_.

He hurriedly tried to stand up straight (hah) and cleared his throat, with a slightly confused/concerned Kuroo next to him.

“Yeah. I’m uh. Fine?” He nonchalantly attempted to pass off whatever happened as normal as if choking on Fuck All after seeing probably the most gorgeous man he’s ever encountered was anything but the ordinary. Obviously, his friend wasn’t buying it.

“What in the ever-loving mother of Hell was that, Sawamura. What in the ever-loving mother of Fuck with Jesus on a pogo stick in the middle of summer was that.” It sounded less like a question and more like a demand. Daichi gestured as vaguely as possible and not even daring to look in the direction towards the counter.

Kuroo, slightly annoyed, looked in its direction and then raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Daichi emphasised. “‘Oh’ just about sums it up I’d say.”

At that, Kuroo started hyena-laughing like a bastard.

“So you’re trying to tell me that your brain fell out of your ass for two solid seconds because you saw the hot barista?! You really are something, Daichi.” He more howled ‘Hot barista’, prompting Daichi to shush him so they wouldn’t get kicked out. Or, god forbid, attract the attention of the hot barista in question.

“I fucking hate you.”

“You love me.” Kuroo straightened his back, grinning at his friend.

“You wish.” Daichi lightly shoved him with his elbow, smirking up at him. Kuroo pretended to be wounded for dramatic purposes then ruined the whole effect by shoving him back harder. “Now come on, we don’t have much left of our break. Let’s get you some coffee before your brain cells decide to go on another hiatus.”

Making their way to order, Daichi made a mental note to stare anywhere but at the gorgeous barista. His brain, however, didn’t get that memo, because as soon as his eyes averted to the vintage newspapers on the walls, they were right back at the barista. He’d be reading about the gay couple from earlier where one of them kept calling the other “angel”, but his eyes were always magnetically drawn back to the man in front of him.

Getting to the counter, the pretty barista finally seemed to take notice of them, as he dusted some sugar off his apron and cleared his throat. You know the bullshit cliché of pink sparkly backgrounds behind people you find attractive, angels singing and making you think that you just saw what looked and felt like heaven? Yeah, Daichi didn’t think it was that bullshit anymore.  
The tag on his apron read “Suga”, and Daichi decided that that was now his favourite name of all time.

“Hi, what can I get you guys?” Daichi was pretty much hyper fixated on his tiny, polite smile and the way his eyes crinkled. _‘Well, shit.’_

“Black coffee for me.” From somewhere on his right, he barely registered Kuroo’s voice.  
“Name?” Grabbing a black marker, the barista - Suga - went to write Tetsurou’s name on a paper cup.  
“Kuroo’s fine.”

“Alright. And for you?” He barely realised that Suga had turned to him, having one Hell of a Heavy Eye Contact moment. Daichi was positive that he forgot his name.

“Uh… a hot simple latte, please.” He mentally congratulated himself for not sounding like a complete moron. At least he had some dignity left.  
“And your name…?”  
“Uh. Daichi.” Yeah, no. Dignity was out the window, on a vacation in the Bahamas, enjoying a nice cocktail on the beach, not-being-an-idiot be damned.

The barista smiled softly as he wrote the name, narrowing his eyes. “Da-i-chi. Awesome. Anything else?” They thought about it for a moment; those cupcakes looked really good, but then decided against it. After paying, Suga pointed towards the end of the counter. “They’ll be here in just a bit then.”

“Thanks.” As he said that, Kuroo almost pushed Daichi to where their drinks would be waiting for them.

“Wow, you really are whipped huh.”

“Can you blame me?! Have you seen his eyes? His hair looks so soft? And that tiny mole under his eye? The stuff of fairy tale princes!” Daichi made sure they were out of Suga’s hearing range as he raised his voice to such a level that he almost sounded strangled, but his dignity was long gone, probably surfing and enjoying its existence away from Daichi. To be completely honest, there were a million things that mattered to him far more in that moment. Although, the way his name rolled off of Suga’s tongue like honey definitely made him feel Special Feelings.

Around a minute or so later, the drinks slid across the counter to them and Daichi’s head snapped up to see Suga’s smiling - and awfully attractive - face directed at them. _‘Terrible. Do it again.’_  
“Here they are! Enjoy them, guys.” He handed them their respective drinks and then, get this, winked. If Sawamura wasn’t a goner until then, he sure was now.

“I’m sure we will. See you.” Daichi smiled as he waved at him with whatever was left of his confidence, with Kuroo following close behind and saluting like a Moron. Suga waved them off, smiling even wider than before.  
What Daichi didn’t know, was that on the bottom of his cup, written in black marker, a phone number sat, waiting to be noticed.

***

“Ugh, stupid _keys_.” Suga fiddled with the bent keychain where over the years he had accumulated so many useless keys (one from his parents’ apartment, one from that one time Oikawa found it while spring cleaning and asked Suga to “have it for safe-keeping”, one from the coffee shop, one from this apartment and about ten from Asahi’s place - as much as Suga loved his friend, Asahi’s keys disappeared so often he might have to open a case file on a mass key disappearance case). Making a mental note to sort it at some point (he would Not), he finally found the key to his apartment and shoved it in the lock.

Opening the door, he was greeted with smoke. A lot of smoke, and the loud blaring of the smoke alarm._ ‘How the hell did I not hear that through the door?’_  
“Oikawa?” He coughed, trying in vain to waft the heavy fog away from him but only achieving the effect of looking like a bird flailing its wings that would’ve made any bystander crack up at the sight.

Through the dark clouds a figure came into view, holding what appeared vaguely to be a tray with the pair of neon orange kitchen gloves that Suga had gotten for them when he moved in (Oikawa had told him that they were hideous and they “ruined the kitchen’s aesthetic”, but Iwaizumi had said that he secretly really liked them, but that he wouldn’t let anyone know).

“Kou-chan, you’re home early!” Setting the tray down on the table, Oikawa hurried to open all of the windows he could get to and then trying - and failing - to look as casual as possible, leaning on the table next to what appeared to be a failed batch of… something. Something very charred, at that.

“What the _fuck_ happened here.” Suga frowned at his friend, who was nervously shifting guiltily from one foot to the other.

“Uh… would you believe me if I said cupcakes?”

The two stared at each other like they were having the most Intense staring contest the world’s ever seen, with Suga glaring in a mixture of disapproval and sheer disbelief and Oikawa nonverbally trying to convince both Suga and himself that he didn’t just fuck up royally.

After what might as well have been forever, Suga blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose, faintly hearing Tooru mumbling “I won,” childishly in front of him.

“I’m too tired for this. Alright, I’m going to go take a nap, pretend none of this ever happened and let Iwaizumi deal with it when he gets home.” Then Suga turned on his heel, made a strong attempt at finding his room through the smoke clouds and upon finding it, shut it behind him in a resigned sort of way. His bag found itself being tossed unceremoniously to the floor and Suga sighed.

“Mean, Kou-chan!” came Oikawa’s muffled yells from behind the door, only making him sound, not unfairly, like a pouty 10-year-old. “Now who’s gonna help me clean this up…”

Suga couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Oikawa was one of his best friends for many reasons, but everyone knew that anything that led him within a five-mile radius of a spatula or a baking tray wasn’t one of them. (Everyone remembered to this day the Chicken Accident when Oikawa tried to cook some chicken nuggets he got from Asda and ended up 1) turning them into tiny charcoal-like pieces of burnt meat and 2) ruining his oven in the process.)

He checked his phone only to find no texts from the cute guy that came into the coffee shop this morning - _Daichi_. Slightly bummed and just a tad pissed off about it, he rammed the charger in the phone like it had personally offended him and hurriedly started covering himself with as many blankets as he could find in his drawers. Even if it was just the middle of October, it had gotten so cold he was sure he was going to freeze to death if he didn’t have at least 20 of the world’s fluffiest blankets on him. And with that, he softly fell asleep, with the face of a pretty stranger ingrained in his mind.

***

Sure, time flies by when you’re having fun, but it flies by even faster when you sit on your ass for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, listening to the same squeaking hamster wheel that tiny Bob kept running on like he was training for the local hamster marathon - which, Daichi thought, sounded like an interesting idea for an event that could be real at this point in time - to the same Kuroo screaming from the background that he “needed 5 more needles” and he “needed them _NOW_, Daichi”.

He’d leave the keys to Ennoshita for his afternoon shift, greeting Hinata when he’d come in to replace him at the desk and then headed back to his apartment. Occasionally he would glance in the cafeteria’s direction hoping to catch a certain Barista’s eye, but that’s for him to know and for the world to find out. He would get home, staying in for his daily session of playing nothing but Minecraft for 4 hours straight - he just built himself a nice cobblestone tower and Rufus, the Love of his Life and the Doggo of his Dreams, seemed to like it.

(After Hinata and Kenma taught him how to play, he started to like it more and more.

Well, save from the few times when he went to get some Quartz and fell to his death in lava, at which point Hinata served as moral support while Kuroo laughed at him like the dick that he was.  
“Did you REALLY lose your diamonds because you fell through a hole in LAVA? I can’t _believe_ you, captain.”  
“I’m going to tear off your nipples and shove them up your _ass_ if you keep that up, Kuroo.”)

So when Kuroo called him up on a quiet Saturday evening to ask him to watch the practice match on Sunday, he was more surprised than anything, but excited to finally break the routine.

“Come on man, for the sake of old times, right?” Kuroo sounded like he was almost begging him, with the way he whined. “And I’m playing against Oikawa, we finally matched our schedules to have that practice match I - we’ve - been wanting to have for so long. I need to get my revenge on the bastard.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll be there. And if you lose, you owe me a drink.” Daichi couldn’t help but smile while saying that, earning him his - admittedly deserved - “fuck you” from his friend.

After hanging up on Kuroo, Daichi took the time and look back and reminisce about the good old days of high school. On how much fun he had when he played volleyball, how good it felt when they won games together, and how awful and frustrating losing was. He occasionally joined Kuroo and his team on practice, but he hadn’t been doing that in a pretty long time. Maybe he could ask if he could join him next time.  
  
And if not now, then when? He hadn’t seen one of Kuroo’s matches in forever, and it was a bit overdue at this point. Besides, if he said that he didn’t want to see Kuroo’s rematch with Oikawa, the Great King himself, the setter extraordinaire, he’d be lying.

  
***

  
Somewhere on the other side of the town, a tired Sugawara looked and felt like he needed a long, long vacation somewhere exotic, away from the constant stress factor in his life named Oikawa Tooru.

“But why? I’m pretty sure I have work this weekend, and if I miss one shift I’m not sure if Kiyoko or Ukai-sensei would forgive me.” Suga was slightly annoyed at the fact that for the past five or so minutes, Oikawa has been asking - read: actually begging - him to watch his practice match with an old friend/rival from high school. Kuroo, if he remembered correctly.

For whatever reason, that name sounded familiar, but at this point it would be weird for it to not sound familiar, considering that Tooru’s being saying it over and over again, usually accompanied by various lines such as “that fucking pain in the ass” or “I want to wipe that smug look off his face so _badly_, Kou-chan, you have NO idea” or something along those lines.

“Come on, Kou-chan! It’s about time you came to see one of my matches, you’ll even get to see me beat Kuroo’s ass like the last time!” Oikawa shifted his position to give Suga his signature puppy eyes and put his hands together, continuing his - admittedly convincing - speech. “Besides, who’s going to be there to help me when Iwa-chan’s big strong muscles will be on display? And his ridiculously thick thighs and have you even seen his abs oh my God-- ”

“Yeah, I get it.” Suga let out an exasperated exhale, shooting his friend a disapproving and extremely tired look. “You guys are _dating_, and have been _doing so for 5 years_. Why would you need me there for that?!”

“Well yeah, but he can’t know that I like him, that would be very embarrassing.” Oikawa dramatically pointed at Koushi, then crossed his arms with his signature fake-pout and closing his eyes, reminding Sugawara of an angry toddler. (It would’ve been funny if he hadn’t been so tired of Tooru’s shit by this point.) He eventually opened one eye to see Suga’s reaction, only to be greeted by his friend’s deadpan look.

Oikawa squinted at him, and Suga followed suit, ending up in another seemingly endless staring contest.  
Eventually, Suga gave in, Oikawa quietly going “I won again, Kou-chan”. Suga made a mental note to have an Actual staring contest with his friend, just out of pettiness. “Ugh, _fine_, but only because I know you’ll be insufferable if I don’t.”  
Oikawa put his hands on his hips and leant in closer to his friend, displaying a triumphant, shit-eating grin. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last part because my dear friend would never say that.”

Sighing, Suga took out his phone and pulled up Asahi’s contact info. He waited for his friend to pick up, hoping to every deity and religion out there that Asahi wouldn’t be upset with him for asking him to fill in for his Sunday shift.

“Suga, hi!” Asahi picked up, sounding more chipper than usual.  
Koushi smiled. “Hi, Asahi. What’re you up to? I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”  
“No, not at all! I’m just baking a nice small batch of muffins for myself. I’m putting that cookbook you gave me to good use.” At that, Suga smiled even wider.

A few months ago, Asahi had told the coffee shop’s crew that he suffered from anxiety. Suga wasn’t surprised really - it wasn’t a surprise for anyone, but having it confirmed by Asahi himself made it feel a bit more real - but he took everything Azumane said very seriously and promised to help however best he could. (They all gave him a big hug after the fact - even Kageyama, who wasn’t very keen on physical contact, joined in, with a quiet, tiny “Thank you for telling us Azumane-san” that made Asahi’s heart melt.)

Two weeks ago Suga had told him that cooking usually helped him calm down, and so he gave Asahi a copy of one of his favourite cookbooks of all time, marking the recipes he thought Asahi might like, so hearing that it was “being put to good use” put a big smile on his face.

However, the word “muffins” made him wince even the tiniest bit, after Oikawa’s stunt from earlier in the week. Since, you know, coming home from a Tiring Day of Work to see every single corner of the house being filled with smoke because Your Friend and Flatmate went to bake some Muffins when he has close to No Cooking Skills and had never touched a whisk in his Life. (_‘Seriously, how does Iwaizumi deal with this?!’_)

“I’m glad to hear that then, sounds great.” Suga cleared his throat. “I have a favour to ask of you.”  
A clanking sound came from Asahi’s side - probably setting down one of his utensils. “Sure, what can I help with?”

“I have something to take care of on Sunday and I can’t come in for my shift.” Suga paused. “Can you please fill in for me? I mean it’s fine if you can’t, but I was just wondering—”  
“Yeah, sure! I don’t have anything going on, so I think I’ll be able to fill in.”  
Suga let out a relieved breath, relaxing immediately. “God thank you, I really appreciate it. I promise I’ll make it up to you, I’ll work one of your shifts or—”  
“Suga, it’s fine, really.” Asahi paused, seeming to think about something. “Hmm, although, now that I think about it, your chocolate chip cookies don’t sound so bad. If that works for you.” Asahi smiled.  
“You know what, that seems fair. You’ll have them on Monday morning, warm and chocolatey.”  
“Perfect then!” A _ding_ could be heard through the phone. “Those are my muffins. I should probably go before they get burned. See you on Monday, Suga.”  
“Absolutely, thanks again! I’ll see you.”

Suga hung up, turning to Oikawa’s - still - smug face.  
Koushi squinted. “I hate you, do you know that?”  
Oikawa crossed his arms. “I’d say that’s mean, but that’s just about the biggest lie you’ve ever come up with. That and maybe that one time when you tried to convince me that circumcision meant having a big dick.”

At that, Suga burst out laughing. “You bitch,” he said, lightly punching Oikawa’s shoulder. “You were close to believing that one, too. Iwaizumi was probably laughing for 20 minutes straight afterwards.”

In typical Oikawa fashion, he was being fake hurt and dramatic about it, only to then shove Suga harder with a wide smile on his face. “Not my fault you two are complete dickheads and scaringly convincing!”

Suga laughed again. “Whatever you say, Oikawa.”


	2. Of Volleyball Matches and Soft Smiles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's just the second chapter and i'm already late i'm fuckin,,,,,, sigh  
hello hello i'm two days late but hey this chapter is longer than the other one and i'm actually pretty proud of this one  
tiny heads-up, only the first half of this chapter has been beta-read, as both me and my beta-reader have been extremely busy because school's a Bitch.
> 
> edit 15/10/2019 (bc i don’t want to add a chapter just for this): not entirely sure when i’ll be able to update due to School Bullshit so please know that it’ll take a bit to get the next chapter out bc it’ll actually have plot!! yes yes big news. please look forward to that!!)
> 
> as always special thanks to [ olly ](https://ollyoctopus.tumblr.com/) for putting up with my shit and for helping me with this, ily b xx
> 
> hope you enjoy it!!

On a chilly Sunday morning, Daichi followed Kuroo to the gym where the practice match was taking place. From what Daichi could gather, it was the opposing team’s gymnasium, with Oikawa insisting that he could host the practice match this time around. Kuroo thought that his opponent’s offer was Pretty Shady.  
“Daichi, I’m telling you, this is a whole set-up, I just _feel_ it.”  
Sawamura gave him a disbelieving look. “Pretty sure Oikawa wouldn’t do anything suspicious, especially when it comes to volleyball.”  
Even if Oikawa was one of the most deceiving and infuriatingly smart people Daichi’s ever come across, he knew just how much their old rival cared about fairness. And he wasn’t one to think that Tooru of all people would give up on that principle.

Kuroo, like the Conspiracy Theory Lover that he was, grunted in response, but left it at that.

They made their way to Kuroo’s team, Daichi saying hi to Kenma and earning a shy tiny smile from the player. He noticed out of the corner of his eye how Kuroo looked at them, having a proud look on his face. Kenma wasn’t really known for talking to people, but it had gotten better since high school. Granted, he was still quiet, but notable progress was being made, and Daichi was pretty happy about it.

***

  
A few minutes away from the gym, Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Suga were decidedly On Their Way. Or, well, at least they were trying to be, considering they were currently stuck in traffic. Honking the horn for the millionth time in 2 minutes, Iwaizumi snapped at the driver in front of him - an old man in a tiny car, moving only slightly faster than an elderly snail on the main highway.  
“COME ON, MOVE YOU _DICK_!”  
“Iwa-chan, calm down, we’ll be there on time! Isn’t that right, Kou-chan?”  
Suga shot the pair a deadpan look. “I’ve fully accepted that we have no hope of getting out of here.” Oikawa sighed.

As soon as he said that, some space conveniently cleared up in front of them, freeing up a path to their right. Iwaizumi’s brows shot up before grinning like he’d just finished planning a complicated, devious scheme.  
“Are you sure about that?” As those words left his mouth, Iwaizumi floored the acceleration pedal and took a sharp turn on the narrow path. Had they not fastened their seatbelts after getting in the car, they’d probably have their faces squished against the windows. Even so, Suga was sure that his soul left his body for a few seconds as they made their way at high speeds down the short street.

Hajime slowed down, raising his foot from the pedal and stepping on the brake. Suga and Oikawa seemed to recover from the sudden shift in position, with the latter turning to his boyfriend with a half-terrified, half-annoyed look on his face.  
“Iwa-chan. Listen, I love you to bits, but what in the ever-loving mother of FUCK was that?!”  
“I wanted to get out of the crammed line, saw an opportunity and took it. See, we’ll be there in 10 minutes like this,” he said, pointing at the GPS on his phone.  
“Yeah, well next time you decide to do that, give us a heads-up would you? I think my ass is now _inside_ the car seat.” Oikawa crossed his arms and eyed Iwaizumi disapprovingly, hearing a small snicker from Suga and an “I’m sorry” from Iwaizumi.

Tooru then looked in the rear-view mirror at Koushi, who was sitting in the backseat, looking out the window, looking like all happiness was drained from his face.

“Kou-chan, you’ve had that face for the entire week. Did something happen?” Suga snapped out of his trance and looked back at Oikawa in the mirror.  
“What do you mean? What face?”  
“You look like you went to a funeral, and then held a funeral _for_ the funeral that had a terrible reception, the drinks were shit, the tiny cupcakes tasted like they were infused with misery and shame and you ate them while crying, and then had _another_ funeral just for good measure,” Oikawa explained.

Suga frowned. “That literally makes no sense.”  
“Whatever, you know what I mean!” After that, Oikawa looked at Suga with a more serious, determined face. “But seriously, what happened?”  
“As much as I hate to pry,” Iwaizumi added, “I can’t help but agree with Tooru. You seem… upset. Is everything okay?”

Koushi sighed and turned back to his Very Interesting window, looking and feeling like an edgy child sulking because of how Misunderstood he was. What a world, what a world. “I guess I’ve been a bit upset about something, but it’s nothing that important.”  
Oikawa squinted. “Pretty sure that if it makes you look like you went through 3 separate funerals it’s pretty damn important.”

Iwaizumi gave Tooru side-eyes that seemed to say “If he doesn’t want to talk about it, shut the fuck up and leave him be.” But, in typical Oikawa fashion, he was having none of it.  
With a dejected look, Suga continued. “Well, this guy came into the coffee shop and--”  
Oikawa’s eyes lit up. “Oooooh, a _guy_ you say?”  
Iwaizumi was quick to smack him over the head. “If you wanted him to start talking you’d better let him finish, Shittykawa!”  
“That hurt, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa winced, and then made an apologetic face. “But yeah, you’re right. Sorry, continue.”

Suga gulped. “Well, he was really _hot_. Like really, _really_ hot. And he seemed to like me too, but I guess he was shy about it?” Suga started to pull on his collar, getting redder by the second. “And I wrote my number on the bottom of the cup in hopes that he’ll text me or call me, but…” He paused. “It’s been almost a week and I’ve heard nothing from him.”

After he finished, Suga looked into the rear-view mirror again, only to find Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s deadpan looks. He became the tiniest bit annoyed. “What? You asked.”  
“Suga, not to be the bad guy here, but…” Iwaizumi smirked up at him. “How was he supposed to see your number on the _bottom_ of the cup?”

Oikawa, like the dickhead that he was, started laughing. Suga looked mortified, turning three shades redder.  
“Don’t laugh, Crappykawa.” Iwaizumi scolded. Sometimes, being in any way associated with Oikawa meant that you had to act like you were babysitting an unruly child. Only sometimes, though.

Oikawa wiped a tear from his right eye, being close to bursting out laughing again. “Listen, Kou-chan, I’m sorry, but how was he supposed to see your number on the bottom of the fucking cup?!” Koushi pulled the collar of his shirt over his chin in embarrassment while Tooru went on his tangent.  
“Like how do you drink your coffee? Do you just randomly happen to check the bottom of the cup like you’re gonna find the lucky lotto numbers or something? Are the secrets of the fucking Universe written on the bottom of a coffee cup?!”

With Oikawa all but howling in the front seat and Iwaizumi snorting next to him, Suga pulled his shirt over his nose, leaving only his eyes visible like he was trying to hide from the world. “Okay! Fine, I get it!” He started giggling too. Admittedly, when looking back on the situation, it was a bit ridiculous. He started to feel a bit better. _‘At least now I know he wasn’t an asshole. Or, god forbid, uninterested.’_

When Oikawa calmed down, he smiled kindly at his friend.  
“Next time he comes in, either write the number on the cup or give him a napkin or something. Or, you know, tell him that you find him… well, use your own words; you’re a big guy, I’m sure you can handle telling someone they’re hot.”  
Suga laughed. “God forbid the talking part, but I’ll keep the other options in mind.” He looked down, smiling to himself. “Thank you, guys.”  
“Anytime, Kou-chan, that’s what we’re here for.” Oikawa beamed, and Iwaizumi smiled.

Their conversation ended just at the right moment, having just pulled into the gym’s parking lot. As they exited the car, Oikawa all but jumped into his teammates’ arms, almost toppling all of them over and taking Iwaizumi and Suga down with them just for the fun of it.

***

  
Daichi finally found the stairs that led to the gymnasium’s stands, after it took him 15 minutes to find them because some idiot thought that putting them in the very back was the best idea - no one tell Kuroo, or he’ll never hear the end of it. He made his way, reaching the top and looking for the best seat he could get.

“Daichi!”

He turned his head to the court, only to see Kuroo waving at him and he faintly waved back at his friend. That was until Kenma said something and Kuroo then turned to him, leaving Daichi to his own devices.

Sawamura was turning to examine the rows of seats until he heard someone yelling from the other side of the court.

“Kou-chan, you finally found the stairs!”

Daichi looked up to see who was yelling. Looking on the court, he saw who he presumed were Oikawa and Iwaizumi, talking to - _yelling at_ \- someone in the stands. He then looked at that someone, only to be greeted by a sight that knocked the breath out of his lungs.

In all of his glory, with his grey hair and wearing a long, cosy-looking coat, the hot barista - _Suga_ \- was standing on the opposite side of the stands.

  
***

  
_‘What moron thought that putting the stairs in the back was a good idea?!’_

Suga felt his frustration melt away when he finally made his way into the stands and saw the court, just as lively as he remembered it to be from when he used to watch his friends’ matches back in high school.

From somewhere down below, Oikawa and Iwaizumi were calling after him - read: Oikawa was yelling after his friend, while Iwaizumi looked like was pretending that he didn’t know Tooru and had absolutely nothing to do with the situation.

“Kou-chan, you finally found the stairs! Took you long enough, if I’m being honest.” Oikawa’s smug smirk made Suga’s blood boil even the least bit. He was sure that if this would’ve been a sitcom, the laugh tracks would be mockingly deafening.

“Why the everloving mother of _hell_ didn’t you tell me they were in the back?!” All Tooru did was shrug, clearly amused at the situation. If Suga hadn’t been so ticked off about it, maybe he too would find it funny.

“Cut it out, Shittykawa, we have a match to win.” At that, Oikawa waved at Koushi and put on his so-called “game face”. Looking determined as ever to kick Kuroo’s ass, he made his way onto the court.

Suga sighed as he distanced himself from the ledge and turned to look for an adequate seat. And while looking, a particularly hot stranger caught his eye. A very familiar hot stranger, at that.  
In all of his glory, the attractive customer from the coffee shop - _Daichi_ \- was sitting just a few meters away from him, staring right back.

  
***

  
Daich blinked once. Then blinked again. And when Suga’s figure was still in front of him, he started to realise that this was, in fact, reality and not some hyperrealistic dream. He didn’t know how he felt about that if he were to be fully honest.

Before his brain could catch up with his legs, he realised that he started making his way towards Suga. Koushi’s brain was quicker, however, and he started heading towards Daichi as well, meeting him somewhere in the middle.

The loud whistle snapped them out of their trance, indicating that the match had started. That, and also the fact that they’ve been making some very solid Eye Contact for fuck knows how long.

Suga was the first one to move, clearing his throat and extending his hand in front of him. He smiled softly, and Daichi was sure that his soul left his body long ago, joining his long lost dignity on a vacation.

“I’m Sugawara, Suga for short. Nice to meet you!” His smile only widened, and Daichi’s brain finally started working again. He then took Koushi’s hand, smiling back.

“Daichi, pleased to meet you too. I don’t believe we’ve formally met, given the fact that I’ve only come by your coffee shop earlier this week.”

Suga’s eyes shot wide open, smiling even wider._ ‘He remembered!’_

“Yeah, I remember, you and your friend came by, right? From that adorable pet shop right across?”  
Daichi chuckled lightly, and Koushi was sure that he was having an encounter with an actual angel. Sawamura pointed towards the left side of the court at a guy with some impressive bed head. “Yeah, my friend Kuroo and I worked the morning shift that day and we were in severe need of caffeine. Glad you were there to save the day and my sanity, I should thank you for that.”

Suga started laughing, making Daichi giggle even more. Then Suga realised why the name Kuroo sounded familiar: he was the guy Daichi came to the coffee shop with, the one who was hyena-laughing loudly right after entering. Whatever the reason behind that was sparked Koushi’s interest.

“Some interesting fashion choices, I’ll give him that much.” Daichi started laughing even louder, leaning on the ledge. Suga found it particularly difficult to not join in before continuing. “You’re here to support him, right?”

“Yeah, he wanted me to come to cheer him on when he’ll “kick the other team’s ass”, or so he’d said.” Suga hummed in acknowledgement. “Speaking of, you’re here for that too, right? Assuming you don’t just randomly happen to know about local practice matches, that is.”

Koushi smirked up at Daichi, and… yeah, there it is. Rest in peace, Sawamura Daichi, you will be missed. Cause of death? A pretty boy smiled up at him. No one save him.

He barely caught Suga pointing at the opposite side of the court towards Oikawa. “Yeah, my friend basically begged me to come to see him “win another perfect match”. Guess your friend’s in trouble, huh.”

“I wouldn’t worry, at least not right now,” Daichi smirked back, catching Suga off guard and making him blush for what feels the millionth time.

The whistle blew again, announcing that Kuroo’s team scored the first point before Daichi continued. “You know Oikawa?”

Suga turned to the court, watching his friends and their teammates closely. “Yeah, I went to high school with him and his boyfriend. We grew apart after we graduated, but we met again about a year ago and now we’re basically inseparable.” Koushi grew fond thinking back to when the three of them met up again to catch up and reminisce about the good old days. It was a nice 3 hours of laughing and joking around, just like they used to do when they were seniors.

“That sounds… really nice. Hell, I remember when we used to play against Oikawa’s team, and I remember how fun those matches were and how frustrating it was when we lost.” Daichi chuckled lowly.

Suga gave him a questioning look. “You played volleyball?”

“Yeah, I was a wing spiker. Even if I was more specialised in defence rather than offence.” Daichi smiled fondly, looking at the court and following the ball with his eyes. Suga, in turn, hummed in response, studying his companion for a few more seconds, feeling his breath getting short before turning to the court just in time to see Iwaizumi spike.

“Nice kill, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa high-fived his boyfriend before the team chimed in with their own praise. Suga smiled triumphantly.

“We’ll get the next one!” Kuroo’s voice was calm, yet strong and determined. Needless to say, the match established itself as being interesting to watch.

And Daichi was sure that that wasn’t going to be the only thing to admire at that moment, turning to look at Suga somewhat discreetly, and he couldn’t believe that Suga was right there with him.

  
***

  
Asahi yawned loudly. He was thinking about how lovely it would’ve been if he were currently in bed with a big cup of coffee in his hands, having a “Friends” marathon on an early Sunday morning. Unfortunately, he was in the coffee shop, grinding coffee for yet another customer who was in a Hurry to get Somewhere, noticing them getting increasingly impatient. Normally, his anxiety would be through the roof at the thought of inconveniencing someone, but it was Too Early to care about that now.

He slid the newly made coffee across the counter and the customer snatched it off it quickly and left the coffee shop in a hurry, muttering something under their breath about “unprofessionalism”, not bothering to leave a tip as they exited. Asahi Sighed.

He was currently sharing a shift with Kageyama, who seemed to have a personal vendetta against the coffee grinder, glaring at it with any given chance. Azumane decided that it would be smarter to Not ask about that.

Suddenly, he heard the tiny bell that was hung above the front door ring, signalling that someone had just entered. He rearranged his apron, then looked in front of him, only to see a group of three people making their way to the counter. Two of them seemed to be Very Engaged in a conversation that Asahi couldn’t make much out of, with the other one remaining yawning as if the other two’s enthusiastic conversation was the norm.

“Did you see how fast he spiked that?! He went_ fwoom_ and then _bang_! He hit it like some pro!” The taller, bald guy was gesticulating wildly, his eyes all but glowing with admiration.

“No way dude, I’m telling you, that follow-up was everything! That dive was _god-like_, and you can’t tell me otherwise.” Asahi’s eyes seemed glued to the other guy talking: significantly shorter than his friends, sporting wild spiky hair with a strand of dyed blond in the front, his eyes wide open, with a smile wide and confident. And Azumane’s mind went blank._ ‘Oh no, he’s cute.’_

“Now, if your little fawning over your idols is _done_,” the third guy spoke up from behind, shooting the other two an impatient and Tired look before continuing, smirking devilishly down at Short Cute Guy; “I’d like to get some caffeine in my system. If I remember correctly, it’s Nishinoya’s turn to order.” Short Guy’s smile dropped and then slouched in defeat.

“What, again?! Pretty sure I ordered last time!”

“No, I did because you were too scared to talk to the barista. It’s definitely you this time.” The third guy smiled triumphantly, with the bald guy shrugging in defeat.

“Sorry bro, he’s right. We’ll go look for a table.” Bald guy waved at him, shooting him an apologetic look and pushing Third guy along to the tables.

The short cute guy - _‘Nishinoya?’_ \- Sighed, then turned towards the counter with a dejected look on his face. He finally looked up to see Asahi, and his face lit up immediately, blushing softly. He and Azumane locked eyes, and Short Guy shot him a steady but kind smile. Asahi couldn’t help but smile back.

As maybe-Nishinoya approached the counter, Asahi grew more anxious. It seems that the lack of caring from before has left him in favour of Fucking Off to God Knows Where, and he was left with pending anxiety attack because a Cute Guy was making Intense Eye Contact with him. Someone save him.

He looked briefly to his left, seeing Kageyama snoring softly in the staff room, and came to the conclusion that he will, In Fact, have to deal with this himself. He made a mental note to wake up Kageyama after this whole charade ended, and then looked back in front of him, only to see Short Guy leaning on the counter, a tiny smirk on his face and eyes focused.

Asahi Gulped, took a deep breath and grabbed his little notepad from his pocket to jot down probably-Nishinoya order.

“M-may I take your order?” Asahi mentally damned his stuttering, but congratulated himself for at least getting the sentence out in full. If Suga were here, he would probably be proud of him, and that thought brings a little comfort.

Short Guy sat up straight and put his hand to his chin, seeming to be thinking.  
“Yeah, I’ll take two lattes with whipped cream and a simple black coffee.”

Asahi wrote down his order, poking out his tongue in focus and slightly squinting. He shot Short Guy a brief smile. before pulling up three cups and a black marker. “Names?”  
Presumably-Nishinoya blinked in surprise.  
“F-for the cups? You don’t have to give me names if you don’t want to.” Asahi pointed anxiously at the cups with his marker.

Cute Guy smiled widely. Rest in Peace, Azumane Asahi.  
“Right, right. Tanaka, Ennoshita and Nishinoya will be fine. Nishinoya on the black coffee,” Definitely-Nishinoya said, scratching the back of his head.  
Asahi wrote the names down, then pointed towards the end of the counter.  
“You’ll have them right up, they’ll be over there,” then he turned to the coffee machine.  
“Thanks, can’t wait for them.” He was surprised to hear Nishinoya’s voice from behind him rather than from the other side of the room, meaning he probably hasn’t moved.

Azumane just hummed in acknowledgement, absentmindedly putting the coffee in the grinder and waiting for it to be done.  
“So, you come around here often?” Short Guy asked, tapping his fingers on the counter.  
Asahi, dumbfounded, turned to Nishinoya with a perplexed expression.  
“I… I work here.”

Nishinoya blinked once before blushing furiously in embarrassment. “Y-yeah! I’m sorry! I meant-- ugh, I messed it up, didn’t I?” He hid his face in his palms, wanting to disappear from the scene. He thought that it might be time to invest in some tiny smoke bombs. You know, the ones that help illusionists disappear? Yeah, he’s Strongly considering getting some of those. Bonus points if they’re colourful.

Asahi chuckled lowly, and Nishinoya looked up, more intrigued than anything._ ‘Plus,’_ Nishinoya thought, _‘he’s got a cute laugh.’_  
“I wouldn’t say you did. You’re the first one to try to hit on me if I’m being honest. I mean, if that was what you were doing because if you weren’t then--” Nishinoya slammed his hand on the counter, startling not only Asahi, but if you were to look into the staff room, you’d see a Very Confused and Tired Kageyama, looking around to see what was going on, then promptly dropping back on the table, snoring loudly and drooling on the papers he was using as a makeshift pillow.

“What do you mean I’m the first one to hit on you?! You’re joking, right?” Nishinoya practically yelled, making Asahi take two steps back and almost knocking the remaining unfinished coffee cup over.

Azumane all but whispered out a response, scratching his goatee in embarrassment.  
“N-no....?”  
Nishinoya blinked a few times, before realising that he was being a bit more aggressive than he meant to be, and backed up almost immediately, giving Asahi a bit of space. If he weren’t in a bit of a shock, he’d verbally thank his… conversation partner? Sure.  
He instead settled for mentally thanking him, and regaining his composure.  
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so forward.” Nishinoya looked down and blushed again, and Asahi’s conclusion that he couldn’t get any cuter was completely shattered. “I just think that you’re cute and hot at the same time, and I wanted to ask you out but I mucked that up so… I’m sorry.” He bowed slightly.

“I-It’s fine! I’m not good at receiving compliments in general and I just got startled and I’m the one who should be sorry!” Asahi gestured quickly, wearing a kicked puppy’s expression on his face. “Look, let’s try this again. If you’re still up for that, o-of course…” Azumane scratched the back of his head.

Nishinoya looked up and smiled softly. He extended his hand over the counter and winked.

“I’d love to. I’m Nishinoya Yuu.”  
Asahi shyly smiled back, taking Yuu’s hand and shaking it politely.  
“Asahi Azumane, nice to meet you.”

Maybe coming to work on an early Sunday morning wasn’t so bad after all.

  
***

  
As a surprise to everyone except Kuroo’s team, they won. They finally beat Oikawa at his own game. Giving up the first set to Oikawa’s team, Kuroo started taking control of the game the moment he blocked Iwaizumi’s spike for the third time in a row. He knew what kind of effect it would have on Tooru, so he used it to its full potential.

Daichi was smiling widely, waving excitedly at his friends, earning a peace sign from Kuroo and a wave from Kenma.  
Next to him, Suga started clapping, having a look that Daichi could interpret only as mildly impressed. And, well, immensely cute, but that was besides the point.

“That was a really good match, I have to admit. You really weren’t kidding when you said your friend was good.” Suga leaned back on the rail, smiling kindly at Daichi. Sawamura chuckled, and he was sure that he looked extremely proud of his friends, and that’s because he was incredibly proud of them.

“I wasn’t. But Oikawa is only getting better and better every time I see him, it was an interesting match to say the least. Now they’re even.” Daichi followed Tooru and Hajime with his eyes as they went to the bench to grab the towels and water bottles. He wonders if they saw him; hell, if they even remembered him.

Koushi nodded next to him, turning to look at his friends on the court. His eyes lit up, however, when an idea he saw as brilliant crossed his mind. He quickly turned to Daichi, grabbing his arm in excitement.  
“Do you wanna come say hi to them? I think they’ll be happy to see you, since, from what you’ve told me, you guys haven’t seen each other in a while.”  
Sawamura was a tad bit caught off guard, but he displayed a tiny smile before nodding, not feeling like he could say anything else when Suga was quite literally radiating with positivity and happiness.

Suga all but dragged Daichi down the stairs, almost jumping over most of them and hurrying to reach the court’s entrance. Daichi was following as closely as he could, trying not to focus on the fact that _‘oh my God Suga grabbed me by my arm and is currently dragging me on the court oh my God--’._

Oikawa, hearing an extra set - two? - of steps on the court, turned to see Koushi running - and Daichi lagging behind him - towards them.  
“Kou-chan, I’m sorry you had to see such a terrible match. Guess Kuroo caught up to us, the cunt.” He almost choked on his water when Iwaizumi smacked him over the head. “That was a good match, Shittykawa. Even you can admit that he’s improved a lot since the last time we played against him. Now we’re even.” Oikawa, despite initially scowling at Hajime, sighed and nodded in agreement. Kuroo’s progress was impressive and no one could deny it.

Daichi was glad to see his old rivals were still the same as he used to know them. Still just as lively and as experienced, yet just as wild and chaotic as ever. Maybe some things don’t change.

Suga stepped out of the way, allowing for Daichi to be visible, Oikawa made eye contact with him and his eyes widened. Sawamura smiled awkwardly, waving to both Tooru and Iwaizumi.  
“It’s been too long, Captain-chan.” Oikawa extended his hand in front of him, and Daichi took it without hesitation. “I see you still haven’t dropped the nickname, Oikawa. Always a pleasure, Iwaizumi.” He took Hajime’s hand as well, shaking it firmly.

“How do you two know each other?” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Suga scratched the back of his head. “It’s a long story. He was a _customer_ earlier in the week.” He emphasised customer, blushing slightly and making a point to stare at Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s faces. Their eyes were wide open before they smirked devilishly at their friend. At this point, Sugawara knew that he was utterly and totally Fucked.

Luckily, by chance or through some miracle - or maybe because some deity thought that Koushi deserved a break from the streak of mini-heart attacks he’d had for the past two hours he’d been at the gym - Kuroo decided to join them, congratulating the opposite team for a great match. They all spent a few more minutes chatting among themselves. Daichi looked at Suga every now and again, and when Suga would catch him he’d avert his eyes quickly. Of course, Suga noticed this, but he blushed slightly every time it happened, smiling to himself.

Eventually, they had to leave, preparing to go their separate ways. Kuroo and Daichi saw Kenma outside, waiting for them at the exit.  
Before departing, Suga lightly shoved Daichi with his elbow in an attempt to get his attention, and it worked pretty much instantly.  
“Hear me out, and tell me if this is weird, but would you like to maybe exchange phone numbers? To keep in touch and stuff?”  
Daichi blinked in surprise before smiling widely. “Yeah, absolutely! I’d love to. Here’s my phone, just put your phone number in there and I’ll call you. That way you’ll have mine.”  
Koushi smiled happily, quickly taking Daichi’s phone and typing his phone number in. In a few seconds, they had each other’s phone number.

Before leaving, Daichi wondered if he should do something besides just saying goodbye. _‘Maybe a handshake? Maybe just wave at him? How about doing finger guns?’_  
Luckily for him, Suga was quicker, giving him a light hug and winking before turning to Oikawa and Iwaizumi, who already pulled in front of the gymnasium to leave. He waved and winked back before turning on his heels and heading towards Kuroo and Kenma, blushing furiously.

“So, the hot barista is friends with Oikawa? Isn’t that a nice coincidence, huh.” Kuroo smirked like the Asshat that he was. All that Daichi was capable of doing in the moment was to squint in retaliation, not being able to do much as his brain cells went on another lovely hiatus. Kenma lightly shoved his boyfriend and gave him one of his Looks, and Kuroo dropped the subject entirely, leaving Daichi in his own world.

_‘I can’t believe I have Suga’s number. It this real life? Is this how I die?’_ Despite his minor existential crisis, Daichi could conclude that he was, in fact, Very Happy.

  
***

  
“So, the Daichi Sawamura was your extremely hot customer? Can’t say I blame you, if I’m being honest. No offence, Iwa-chan, you know you’re the love of my life and the sunshine of my existence.” Oikawa singsonged. Despite himself, Iwaizumi blushed slightly at Tooru’s statement, even if Oikawa made a point to let the entire goddamn world know that Iwaizumi Hajime was his Beloved Boyfriend - and he didn’t mind it one bit.  
Suga, however, was in the backseat becoming the resident lobster.

“If I would’ve known that you knew him I would’ve said absolutely _zilch_ about him! God, I’m so embarrassed.” Koushi was practically trying to hide in the seat, feeling himself getting redder by the minute.

“Nah, don’t be, I’m glad that we know him. That was we can vouch for him and tell you that he’s not a dickhead. I’d see that as a win, Kou-chan.” And, if he thought about it, Sugawara would agree.

He somewhat felt like he had something similar to a parents’ approval, but he was glad that his friends supported him in these Dire Times of Feeling Feelings. He felt particularly grateful for not showing up today at work, and he promised himself to make the best chocolate chip cookies the world’s seen.

He suddenly felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Suga took it out and unlocked it, only to see a message from none other than Daichi himself.

_[daichi :), 2:14 PM]_  
_I’m glad we properly met each other today. :)_

Suga smiled softly, and quickly typed something in response, then locking his phone and shoving it back in his pocket.

_[Suga, 2:15 PM]_  
_hell yeah, me too!! (:_


	3. update + excerpt

*taps mic* hello everyone.

so uh. it's been quite a while??? and i'm terribly sorry about that. unfortunately, school and personal issues got in the way and i didn't manage to properly sit down and write chapter 3.

and, i guess as another punch in the gut, i'll, unfortunately, have to extend this break to,,, maybe the end of november to the beginning of december. i know, that means about an extra month, and i'm aware that that's not the best thing in the world. i completely understand if you wouldn't want to stick around, but there's not much i can do about it, since i have midterms coming up and i feel like i'm going to Die.

however, as a tiny apology, i have proof that i actually _did_ start writing chapter 3, just couldn't get around to properly finishing it.

i'm terribly sorry, again, but i hope you'll enjoy this!!

***

“Gotcha!” Daichi exclaimed, grinning victoriously and being extremely proud of himself. However, in his excitement, as he was already in a precarious balance while chasing the tiny creature, he toppled over into the dumpster. He sheltered the kitten who was clinging to his palm for dear life and pushing its tiny claws into his hand.

Kuroo slammed the back door open, rushing outside to see what caused such a ruckus on a goddamn Monday morning. Again.

“What the  _ fuck _ is going on here--” Before he got to finish his sentence, a hand holding something fluffy shot out of the opened dumpster, followed by a groan of what could be described as sheer despair.

“I caught it.” 

***

see you next chapter, hopefully without having another update in between. thank you for being patient. :)

**Author's Note:**

> if you want to see more of my bullshit feel free to follow me on [ tumblr ](https://cccadillac.tumblr.com/) and [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/catcatcadillac) !!


End file.
